Tuesday of Taxes and Turnarounds

I resolved to complete my taxes today. I don't really have to until the Extension I filed for expires, and I had no motivation to do so while I was being threatened with litigation. Moreover, a refund was the only way that this household had of accumulating savings, since Kris spent money faster than it came in. However, since all that is over (...I hope...) I may now plainly face the issue and apply for a refund to be split among us.
I copied last year's spreadsheet and grabbed this year's form and started to plink away. I had a distinct memory of assembling both my 1099's and Kris' W-2, but in the envelop of tax documents: no W-2!
I was convinced that I had mislaid it; I have had a bit of chaos in my life lately, and nothing would be more natural to misfile it. I did not want to ask Kris for another copy, so I invested a day searching. In the process I neatened things up considerably, so that was time well spent - but still no forms. Finally I had to face the fact that I was not going to find Kris' W-2 in a timely manner, and admit it.
I emailed Kris, and she replied that it was on the coffee table, and it was o.k. with her if I went into (what I think of as) the rental unit to retrieve it.
I was gobsmacked. I was not entirely surprised. This is exactly the sort of thoughtlessness that has characterized our relationship from the hormone-besotted beginning in joy to the alcohol-soaked ending (fortunately in mediation rather than litigation.)
You can't expect people to change, especially when they don't recognize that there is a problem.
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That goes for me too, of course.
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I had another positive conversation with Sherry via FB. It may be a dangerous private instrumentality violative of our privacy and all that, but it sure is handy! I m still uncomfortable when people point out my good qualities (...which is all the funnier because I feel inside that I am underappreciated; you'd think I would therefore like praise ...) but she made some great suggestions about where to look for work. While we were talking I checked up on the idea of working for VA as some sort of advocate and ping! there was a program about rebuilding the VA so that using its services would be as easy as ordering a book online. While I lack the technical chops anymore, I have plenty of experience evangelizing among veterans, so I put in my application. As part of the process I updated my resume and that was a cheery thing to do!
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In the interim, I need to make a bit more cash so I scanned for quick audits and amassed a pile for this week. As a planned through Friday, I got a call from NSS - they needed someone right away in Bellevue. Off I went. Between one thing and another, I got home in time to turn in, taxes not yet completed but much done. This is indeed a time of turnaround.